In the narrow Mediterranean strait between the easternmost islands of Greece and the shoreline of western Turkey, Kostas Raftis steered his fishing dinghy along the invisible maritime border dividing the two countries. Usually, this is a placid spot where Mr. Raftis fishes for red mullet and snapper. Now it is unexpectedly becoming a geopolitical flash point.
Last week, a low-flying Turkish helicopter had passed provocatively close to a military base on the nearby Greek island of Ro, drawing warning shots from soldiers. That incident was followed three days later by the death of a Greek fighter pilot who crashed, his government said, after attempting to intercept a Turkish aircraft that had entered the country’s airspace.
